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EMR products get widely varying reviews. There is strong support and appreciation for EMRs in some HDOs, where the sentiment exists that the EMR is well-designed, saves time, and supports clinical workflows. That said, in other HDOs, providers using the same EMR complain that EMRs add work, decrease face time with patients and create usability issues and slowdowns. Multiple prompts and clicks in an EMR system impact patients and contribute to physician burnout. The resounding sentiment for these set of providers is that the EMRs are not designed for the way they think and work. Why then the varying response among providers to the same EMR products? Deficient implementations.

Under the pressure of moving ahead to meet the requirements of the Meaningful Use program, most EMRs were implemented using a Big Bang approach, and very rapidly. While this approach may have been the most effective to capture incentives, generic, rapid EMR implementation led to several unintended consequences, resulting in widespread user dissatisfaction. EMRs today serve more as a transactional system of record than a system of engagement. To be used to their full capacity, the different components and modules of the EMR should be evaluated against baseline metrics to harness additional capabilities including clinical decision support, analytics at the point of care, and efficiency of workflow. To realize lasting impact from the EMR, extensive post go-live enhancement and optimization is needed. Leveraging the operational data in the EMR system can support many initiatives to improve workflows, as well as clinical and financial performance. Prioritization of the levers that can be adjusted depends on the HDO’s implementation baseline and strategic goals.

A robust EMR optimization strategy can help HDOs realize the promised value from implementation of an EMR. EMR optimization is the driver of strategic value, and can become a sustainable competitive advantage through leadership, innovation and measurement. Success requires a disciplined, data-driven, outcomes-based approach to meet a defined set of objectives.

About Justin CampbellJustin is Vice President, Strategy,atGalen Healthcare Solutions. He is responsible for market intelligence, segmentation, business and market development and competitive strategy. Justin has been consulting in Health IT for over 10 years, guiding clients in the implementation, integration and optimization of clinical systems. He has been on the front lines of system replacement and data migration, and is passionate about advancing interoperability in healthcare and harnessing analytical insights to realize improvements in patient care. Justin can be found on Twitter at@TJustinCampbell and LinkedIn.

About Galen Healthcare SolutionsGalen Healthcare Solutions is an award-winning, #1 in KLAS healthcare IT technical & professional services and solutions company providing high-skilled, cross-platform expertise and proud sponsor of theEMR Clinical Optimization Series. For over a decade, Galen has partnered with more than 300 specialty practices, hospitals, health information exchanges, health systems and integrated delivery networks to provide high-quality, expert level IT consulting services including strategy, optimization, data migration, project management, and interoperability. Galen also delivers a suite of fully integrated products that enhance, automate, and simplify the access and use of clinical patient data within those systems to improve cost-efficiency and quality outcomes. For more information, visit www.galenhealthcare.com. Connect with us onTwitter,FacebookandLinkedIn.